#VacantGeelong: Alex Hamilton and Deakin Architecture Research

The decline of industrial towns is a global and regional phenomenon. Communities perceive the departure of industry negatively and their closures have resulted in deterioration of site, the demolition of vacant buildings, or their expedient replacement. Our research asks, 'what do industrial buildings contribute to a city like Geelong? What is the value of industrial architecture once its original function is removed from the equation?'

The industrial landscape – silos, red brick mills, saw tooth roofs, sculptural machinery, vast parabolic hangars, sheds and more sheds – are not integral to and constructive of the urban fabric of towns like Geelong. Examination of the vacated industrial buildings and sites, their histories, practices and aesthetics, has proceeded through quantitative approaches – Architectural Data Collection (size, volume, structure, location, site conditions, materials), economic and statistical data collection; and qualitative approaches – textures, weathering, profile, grain, and imagery.

The research team are developing a model and methodology for the architecture of the post-industrial community through a collaborative interface between architecture, art and community, firstly giving voice to the communities the industries have helped to foster, and secondly through processes that establish knowledge economies with key agencies shaping the city.